March 23, 2010

Major League Soccer has CBA

According to MLS Players Union executive Bob Fouse, “A majority of players in MLS for the first time in history will have guaranteed contracts, players ability to move freely within the league will be greatly improved, player compensation will be increased substantially. “This agreement will create increased opportunities for the league and union to work together as partners moving forward.”

Don Garber, MLS commissioner had this to say,“This new agreement will provide our players with more money, it will improve their quality of life as Major League Soccer players, it will provide them with greater rights, it will provide them with more of an ability to move, if you will, in the event that their contracts are terminated or if an option is not exercised or if they are out of contract overall.”

The CBA is for 5 years, and was reached just a week before a speculated upon strike which would have postponed the 2010 season. 




Joe Mauer's press conference



Mauer, the hometown boy, prefers to play in front of his family, and thinks the Twins afford him a good chance to play in the World Series.  The hometown paper at StarTribune.com recaps the deal and Joe's Twin Cities pedigree in an article that anticipated the press conference.



NFL Owners Meeting:  Roger Goodell's talk

The subject of a possible work stoppage in 2011 being prominent, Goodell related that, “There have been no discussions [with the NFLPA] for several weeks. We had a lot of discussions, as you know, leading up to the new year…Part of it is just logistics. They had their meetings in Hawaii last week and we are having our meeting in Orlando this week. In the next week or so the two sides will talk and my guess is it will be setting up some meetings shortly.”

Sounding upbeat, the commissioner offered, "I firmly believe, and I think our ownership does also, that this is an opportunity to create a win-win situation.”